Electronic musical instrument system and program thereof

• US 7,501,569 B2
• Filed: 05/22/2007
• Issued: 03/10/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 05/23/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Yamaha Corporation
• Original Assignee: Yamaha Corporation
• Inventors: Hotta, Harumichi
• Primary Examiner(s): Fletcher; Marlon T
• Application Number:
  US11/805,470
• Publication Number:
  US 20070272073A1
• Time in Patent Office: 658 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 84/615
• CPC Class Codes: G10H 1/0066 using a MIDI interface
• CPC Class Codes: G10H 2240/285 USB, i.e. either using a USB plug as power supply or using the USB protocol to exchange data

Abstract

This system serves as one musical instrument by interconnecting a plurality of musical apparatuses EMa through EMf via an expandable communication connecting portion such as USB networks CB and UH. The respective musical apparatuses EMa through EMf have their own apparatus information. For the host musical apparatus EMa, a plurality of path rule information sets which are associated with a plurality of possible statuses where apparatuses are interconnected on a USB network and each of which specifies a path along which music data is transferred among the musical apparatuses are provided. Once the musical apparatuses EMb through EMf are connected to the USB network, the host musical apparatus EMa creates an actual connection pattern Pa1 representative of an actual apparatus connection status in accordance with the apparatus information of the apparatuses EMa through EMf. The host musical apparatus EMa then allows transfer of music data in accordance with a path rule information set selected on the basis of the actual connection pattern Pa1.

Claims

1. An electronic musical instrument system serving as a musical instrument by interconnecting a plurality of musical apparatuses via an expandable communication connecting portion, wherein

each of the plurality of musical apparatuses interconnected via the communication connecting portion has its apparatus information representative of a type of the musical apparatus, one musical apparatus of the musical apparatuses comprising:

a connection detecting portion for detecting respective connections with the other musical apparatuses via the communication connecting portion;

a connection status verifying portion for obtaining apparatus information from the respective musical apparatuses whose interconnection has been detected by the connection detecting portion, and verifying an actual connection status of the respective musical apparatuses;

a rule obtaining portion for obtaining a plurality of path rule information sets provided in correspondence with a plurality of possible statuses in which the plurality of musical apparatuses are interconnected via the communication connecting portion, the path rule information sets specifying paths along which music data is transferred among the musical apparatuses;

a rule selecting portion for selecting, from among the path rule information sets obtained by the rule obtaining portion, a path rule information set corresponding to the actual musical apparatus connection status verified by the connection status verifying portion; and

a data transferring portion for transferring music data in accordance with a path specified by the path rule information set selected by the rule selecting portion, wherein

the actual connection status of the musical apparatuses is represented by first connection information indicating whether or not the respective musical apparatuses possibly connected via the communication connecting portion are actually connected;

the possible statuses in which the plurality of musical apparatuses are interconnected are represented by second connection information indicating whether or not the respective musical apparatuses are interconnected; and

the rule selecting portion selects a path rule information set provided in correspondence with a musical apparatus connection status represented by the second connection information which matches the first connection information.

2. An electronic musical instrument system according to claim 1, wherein the communication connecting portion includes a USB cable.

3. An electronic musical instrument system according to claim 1, wherein the communication connecting portion includes a USB hub.

4. An electronic musical instrument system according to claim 1, wherein the plurality of musical apparatuses are at least two or more apparatuses selected from among a tone generating apparatus, a keyboard apparatus, a sequencer apparatus, a mixer apparatus, an effector apparatus, a speaker apparatus, a foot controller apparatus, a wheel apparatus, a recorder apparatus, a display apparatus and a storage apparatus.

5. A computer-readable medium storing a program for an electronic musical instrument system serving as a musical instrument by interconnecting, via an expandable communication connecting portion, a plurality of musical apparatuses each having apparatus information representative of a type of its musical apparatus, the program causing a computer to execute the steps of:

a connection detecting step of detecting respective connections with the other musical apparatuses via the communication connecting portion;

a connection status verifying step of obtaining apparatus information from the respective musical apparatuses whose interconnection has been detected at the connection detecting step, and verifying an actual connection status of the respective musical apparatuses wherein the actual connection status of the musical apparatuses is represented by first connection information indicating whether or not the respective musical apparatuses possibly connected via the communication connecting portion are actually connected;

a rule obtaining step of obtaining a plurality of path rule information sets provided in correspondence with a plurality of possible statuses in which the plurality of musical apparatuses are interconnected via the communication connecting portion, the path rule information sets specifying paths along which music data is transferred among the musical apparatuses wherein the possible statuses in which the plurality of musical apparatuses are interconnected are represented by second connection information indicating whether or not the respective musical apparatuses are interconnected;

a rule selecting step of selecting, from among the path rule information sets obtained at the rule obtaining step, a path rule information set corresponding to the actual musical apparatus connection status verified at the connection status verifying step wherein the rule selecting step selects a path rule information set provided in correspondence with a musical apparatus connection status represented by the second connection information which matches the first connection information; and

a data transferring step of transferring music data in accordance with a path specified by the path rule information set selected at the rule selecting step.